Circuit controller



Aug. 14,, 1923.

D. W. RICHARDS C IRCUIT CONTROLLER Fi led- Oct. 2, 1922 INVENTOR'.

M ATTORNEY I To all whom it may concern Patented Aug. 14, 1923.

I artiste DANIEL W. RICHARDS, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Application filed Qctober 2, 1922. Serial No. 591,727.

Be it known that I .DANIEL 1V. RICHARDS, a citizen of the Fnited States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical circuit controllers.

I will. describe one form of circuit controller embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in the claim.

In the accompany-dug drawings, Fig. 1 is a view showing, in front elevation, one form of circuit controllerembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the circuit controller shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmental view showing the disposition of the contact parts when the circuit controller shown in Fig. 1 is closed.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the three views.

Referring first toFigs. 1 and 2, the circuit controller comprises a base plate A of some suitable insulating material such as micarta, upon which base plate the various parts of the circuit controller are mounted. The external circuit is controlled by means of a bridgingcontact member C, operated by certain mechanism which is described in detail hereinafter. and coacting with two contact arms B. Two contact supports E are spaced from each other and fastened by means of screws 2 to the base plate A in such positions that they are substantially parallel with respect to eachother and to the longitudinal axis of the basei'plat-e. One end of each such support extends beyond the edge of the base plate and is provided with a screw 3 and a washer 4 for connection to the external circuit. Each of these contact supports is provided with two upstanding ears 5 which carry a pivot pin 6. Mounted to rock on this pivot pin is a metallic contact arm B having two upstanding ears 8 through which the pivot pin 6 passes. The'two supporting ears on the arm B are interposed,

between the two cars on the contact support as shown in Fig. 2. Near its right end each contact arm B carries a ferrule 10 which is provided with a graphite contact button 9. The contact arm B is biasedto the position shown in Fig. 1 with relation to the contact support. E by means of a spring 12 which surrounds a screw 11 mounted in the contact support The lower end of the spring 12 bears upon the left hand side of the arm B whereas the upper end of the spring 12 bears against a nut 13 on the screw 11. A lock nut 14 serves to retain the nut 13 in its adjusted position on SCIGW:1.

The screw 11 'is threaded into a suitable hole in the contact support E and passes freely through a hole in arm B. Aflexible lead 33 connects the arm B to'the support E so as to provide a path for electrical current from screw 3 to contact button 9 through support E conductor 33 and arm B.

The mechanism foroperating the bridging contact member C is mounted on a supporting member D; This member is fixed to the base plate A and comprises a flat v bottom. plate 15 having two upstanding 7 posts 16 provided with triangular recesses at their tops to accommodate the knife edges of two sheet metal members J and H. A pin 1 40 passes through these two posts and extends between them. This bottom plate is also provided with a pair of upstanding lugs 17 having a pin 19 upon which is pivotally mounted a latching member G shaped substantially as shown iIiYthe drawings. The bottom plate is also provided with an upstanding lip 18. A wire coil spring 31, fastened at one end to the lip 18 and at the other to the latch member G, normally biases this member to the left as shown in Fig. 1.

The member H is of irregular shape and comprises two legs 34 having knife edges 27 on their ends which knife edges are inserted in the triangular recesses in the post 16. The member H also comprises a tongue 24, two outstanding ears 35 and two retroflexed arms 36. Riveted to the end of each such arm is a flat spring 25 which extends back along the arm past the bend. Supported by the free ends of the two springs 25 is the bridging contact member C which comprises a flat bar of some suitable conducting mate'rial, such as nickel-plated copper; provided with contact plates of silver on the lower side of its two ends and is so disposed as to make contact with the two carbon buttons 9 when the member H is'lmoved downward about its knife edges27. The upstanding portion of the latch G passes through a slot in the member H and is provided with a shoulder 23 to limit the upward motion of member H. The trigger member. J comprises a flat plate having two projecting ears 37, a tongue 26 which engages with the arm 20 of latch G, two receding claws 38 which are bent around the pin 40 but spaced therefrom, and two eyes 29 to which are fastened means for operating the circuit controller. These means are not essential to the complete dis closure of my invention and have been omitted from the drawings for the sake of simplicity.

A wire coil spring 30 has one end fastened to one ofthe cars 35 on member H and its other end to the associated ear 37 on trigger J. A similar spring 30 is' fastened between the two ears 35 and '37 on the other side of the device. Y

The operation of the circuit controller is as follows: As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the circuit controller is open. Now if the righthand end of trigger J is moved downwardly,

' no motion of the member H will result until the plane defined by the points of connection of the two springs passes below the knife edges 27 and 28. In this position the springs 30 will have :a downwardly directed vertical component of force which will pull the member H downwards, thus moving the bridging member C downward against the contact buttons 9. But this action causes thevertical component ofthe force exerted by the springs 30 to be increased and the result is that the closing of the contact is a quick action. When the member G comes in contact with the buttons 9, the springs 25 are flexed, moving the tongue 24': into contact with the bridging member 0 and allowing the shoulder 22 on latch G to engage the slot in the member H. Since the tongue 26 on trigger J has been moved out of engagement with arm 20 on latch G by the actuating motion referred to above, it is clear that thespring 31 will draw the top of latch G toward the left, thus securing the controller in this position until released. When the bridging member C comes in contact When the right-hand end of trigger J is again raised, no motion of member H can take place till arm 20 of latch Gr has been engaged by tongue 26 on trigger J. When the trigger J is tipped so far as to engage this arm the force exerted by the springs 30 has a large upwardly directed vertical component so that as soon as latch point 22 is disengaged from the slot edge of member H, this member moves sharply upward opening suddenly the contacts between bridging member C and contact buttons 9. The member H continues to move upward till it engages shoulder 23 on latch G and in this position the circuit controller is open.

Although I have herein shown and described'only' one frigrm of electrical circuit controller embod'yi g my invention, it is understood that yarious changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: i

A circuit controller comprising a sheet metal member having two arms, a projecting tongue,';two flat springs each having one end riveted to the tip of one arm and the other end to a bridging contact member, two contact arms, and means for moving said bridging member into and out of engagement with said arms.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DANIEL W. RICHARDS. 

